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Some of my customers get put off by the seeming high cost of sharpening and that's a shame because you can get good results with very little money. Let's discuss some methods on how to sharpen your knives with as little money as possible. I have a number of money saving tips but I'll let you guys take a swing at it first.

Buy a combo stone. Use cardboard or newspaper to strop onUse wet/dry sandpaper on a piece of glass to flatten your stone until you can afford a plate.

mark

Post subject: Re: Sharpening on a shoe string

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 6:36 pm

Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:07 amPosts: 371

Cheapest method I can think of would be sand paper on a mouse pad

cedarhouse

Post subject: Re: Sharpening on a shoe string

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 6:59 pm

Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 6:20 amPosts: 2897

One stone is all you need. Many 1k stones are ~$50, use sandpaper or even pavement to flatten and you can get a lot of work done.

Tall Dark and Swarfy

Post subject: Re: Sharpening on a shoe string

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:30 pm

Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2013 2:22 amPosts: 1084

And here I am thinking that some damn fool was stropping on an actual shoe string.

Jason B.

Post subject: Re: Sharpening on a shoe string

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 9:19 pm

Joined: Tue May 29, 2012 12:29 amPosts: 1285

I've actually heard of shoe string stropping for serrated blades.

3M wet/dry sandpaper from the local auto parts store is probably the cheapest and the most effective.

Norton Crystlon oil stone, fast cutting silicon carbide with a average cost between $10-$20. It's a coarse stone with the fine being 280 grit but produces mud like a waterstone that can be captured and applied to a strop which will greatly refine the edge to razor sharp.

Beyond that a basic 1k & 6k waterstone is tough to beat though likely to be in the $60-$100 range.

Dakki

Post subject: Re: Sharpening on a shoe string

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 7:43 am

Joined: Thu Jan 30, 2014 10:57 pmPosts: 181

I've actually sharpened knives on those dressing stones they give away with diamond abrasive wheels. The stones are free and the results are... better than nothing, I guess.

For the non-metal-workshop-operator, I'm gonna agree with Mark and say wet & dry sandpaper, but glued to a piece of glass.

Panko

Post subject: Re: Sharpening on a shoe string

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 7:48 am

Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:56 pmPosts: 382

I've used the bottom of a coffee cup.

I got started with a Smith's Tri-hone from Lowe's. It was better than nothing and better than the pull through the kitchens had. I think it was $20. Flatted it with sandpaper on a stainless steel table.

Now I have stones that cost more than knives so stuff can happen.

Hutch

Post subject: Re: Sharpening on a shoe string

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 11:01 am

Joined: Sun Feb 02, 2014 6:19 amPosts: 313

RedWattle wrote:Buy a combo stone. Use cardboard or newspaper to strop onUse wet/dry sandpaper on a piece of glass to flatten your stone until you can afford a plate.

+1 this would also be my recommendation to start up on the cheap.

mark

Post subject: Re: Sharpening on a shoe string

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 5:01 pm

Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:07 amPosts: 371

A lot of glued on glass recommendations. I did a quick search, but didn't find much. Where would one find cheap glass blanks?

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